


How the Cat Caught the Canary

by pickett



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Humor, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Well sort of crack, became an actual story, mostly just weird plot devices and marinette being marinette, no miraculous, so i promise the writing gets better as it goes on, started out more as crack, will add more tags as I write
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9157603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickett/pseuds/pickett
Summary: Soulmarks appear after you meet your soulmate. They also show the first thought your soulmate has towards you. Of course, Marinette loves the prospect of true love. Who wouldn't? Her soulmark was merely...unexpected, that's all. And to find out her soulmate was THE Adrien Agreste? She was done for.





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey girl!” Alya called out as Marinette barged in through the door and dropped dead on the couch. “How was your day?”

Marinette mustered up enough energy to half-heartedly glower at Alya. “I think you can see for your _self_ how my day was.”

Alya only chuckled at the sight of an angry Marinette, covered in paint and feathers. She looked like a grumpy, cute cat. Or, more accurately, a bird.

Marinette sighed. Her job as a secretary at the Agreste fashion company was _not_ going well. She wanted to design and make clothing, not go for coffee runs! Today she was even forced to stand in as a “model” because no actual models were willing to take the job. And who _would_ want to have paint and feathers dumped on them? It was not an inspired fashion choice; the colors didn’t even go well with her eyes. How could M. Gabriel Agreste stand for this? Agreste Industries would rue the day they-  
Her phone rung. And then promptly smashed against the wall, breaking into pieces.

“You know you’re going to have to buy a new one now, right?”

“Shut up Alya.”

* * *

One shower and a dozen broken razors later, a slightly less disgruntled Marinette stepped out of the bathroom.

“Better?” asked Alya.

“I guess,” Marinette replied with a resigned sigh.

Wordlessly, Alya handed her a plate of chocolate chip cookies. When Marinette looked at her in suspicion, she gave an exasperated roll of her eyes, “Just take them, it’s not like they’re poisoned or anything. I know they’re your favorite--only trying to be nice here.”

“Thanks,” Marinette smiled in gratitude. As she reached for the plate, Alya noticed ink right above Marinette’s left collarbone.

“Hey Marinette?” Alya began slowly, trailing off as the meaning of the ink settled in.

“What?”

Alya hesitated before answering. “What’s that on your neck? It looks sort of like writing...”

“Probably just some stubborn paint. It’s impossible to get off, I swear!”

“I don't think so, Mari. I think it might be your soulmark...”

“What?! Soulmark? No!!!!” Marinette threw herself across the room to the mirror, and as soon as she saw the mark, her eyes widened. It couldn’t be. She reached for a tissue, frantically trying to rub it off, but it stayed on, almost as if it were a part of her skin. Marinette could feel her breathing become more and more labored, and she instinctively curled in on herself.

Alya reached out tentatively. “Aren’t you...happy? Now you’re one step closer to true love!”

Marinette whined, rocking back and forth on the floor. When she finally answered, her voice came out muffled. “It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Alya. I can’t let them see me as a secretary. I was supposed to be a successful designer before I even met them. Then we could've lived happily with three children, a house, and a hamster. Now I have no chance of that future! What if they don’t even like me? Not to mention, the soulmark itself is already ridiculous. They probably only like my looks and...and I-I'm not even that pretty!”

Alya stopped listening after the second sentence. She had long since learned that Marinette was too insecure for her own good. She gently pried Marinette’s arms from her legs and located the soulmark. With a sharp gasp, she fell to the floor, laughing and clutching her stomach.

The soul mark read: Now that is one hot _chick_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing fan fiction, so it's probably not that good. And I'm not even sure if I'll continue this, but I guess we'll see! If you're reading this, thanks for giving me a chance. If you like it (somehow, miraculously), please leave kudos! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, you dork.

Adrien was twenty-six years old and the only thing that marred his skin was the paw print on his left hip. He had been born with it. But there was no writing, no soulmark, no symbol of true love. Which meant that he had either never met his soulmate or simply didn’t have one. He used to hope that it was the former, but he eventually decided to forget about soulmates. It was easier to pretend not to care than to risk being let down again. Memories of a mother who left him still haunted his dreams, and the fear of losing someone else, even someone who might not have existed in the first place, drove him to push soulmarks to the back of his mind.

Because he wasn’t obsessed with soulmates like the rest of the population, Adrien felt free to date whomever he pleased. For example, when he saw a cute mysterious girl in his father’s building, Adrien had no qualms with pursuing the fluttering butterflies in his stomach. This particular girl was a model, he was sure of it, but she also seemed like the type of person who would bake you cookies whenever you felt down or give you forehead kisses just because. From the way she held herself, to the bluebell color of her eyes, she was absolutely adorable. Adrien was a goner from the moment he set sight on her grumpy face and dark pigtails.

Suddenly, a rather aggressive meow interrupted his daydreams. Plagg, his black cat, stared up at him with a look that practically screamed ‘ _I will throw up on your nice carpet if you don’t stop acting so lovesick.’_ Adrien knew he just wanted food.

* * *

The next day, when Adrien walked into his father’s building, he was ready for anything that may come his way. Like, say, a cute, half-Asian girl. But by the time he left the building, he had given up hope. He would never be able to find her in such a large industry and even when he _had_ seen the girl, he had only managed a glimpse of the her before being whisked away to his father’s office. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. After all, it wasn’t like she was his soulmate or anything.

As he was walking down the street, still lost in his thoughts, a small blur crashed into him and papers flew everywhere.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry I wasn’t looking,” both parties exclaimed at the same time.

“Here, let me help you gather your papers. It’s the least I can do after causing such an inconvenience,” Adrien said as he helped himself up.

“It’s ok, really, it isn’t your fault at all. I can clean up this mess by myse-” At this point, Marinette had mustered up enough courage to look at who exactly she had run into and the embarrassment she had pushed away just seconds ago came flooding back at full force. “Are y-you A-Adrien? Agreste??” _Really Marinette? You’re_ _stuttering_ now _?_

Adrien recognized Marinette at the same time and fought to keep a blush from rising, dazedly noting that she had freckles and that they were really noticeable when her skin flushed pink. He shook it off, frantically thinking of something to say so he could salvage the first impression she was going to have of him. _Be cool, Agreste, be cool._ But apparently his mouth was its own separate entity that refused to listen because instead of being cool (goddamn it), he said, "Yep, you caught me! And let me guess: Are you a mass murderer? Because your looks are killer and...I'm afraid I'll have to _agreste_ you.” Then he felt one of his eyelids spontaneously spasm in her direction. He did not just wink, nope. He just had a mini seizure. 

Marinette was stunned into silence. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times like a gaping fish before promptly fainting (which resulted in the second broken phone in less than 24 hours). Adrien hovered over her, concerned for her well-being. He had witnessed many girls fainting before, being a model and all, but he was much more invested this time. When she woke up and saw him, her face went deathly pale before rapidly turned the same color as a tomato. _Good going there Agreste, you broke her!_

As Adrien awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck in shame, he tentatively asked if she was alright. After much stuttering and many apologies, Adrien had gotten her name and number (score!) and things seemed to be going pretty smoothly. It was only when Marinette began to leave that his stupid, _stupid_ mouth made another appearance. Before he could stop himself he blurted out...

“Well, I guess I literally fell for you, huh?”

Marinette had a hard time sleeping that night.

* * *

 

There was something on his chest. Adrien knew what it was, but he couldn’t believe it. Blinking slowly, Adrien called up his best friend Nino. After a few rings, he could hear Nino brightly greeting him, “Hey bro, long time no talk!”

“Nino I literally talked to you yesterday,” Adrien sighed, “And we saw each other last weekend!”

“Fair enough, but you work too hard dude. You need some time off; how ‘bout we catch that new movie this Friday?”

“Now is not the time, Nino. We can make plans later, but, for now, there’s been an emergency,” Adrien bit his lip. They had only talked about this theory. It had never been used or put into motion...up until now. He steadied himself and continued on, “It’s a code red.”

And with that, all hell broke loose. “BRO! BRO!!!” Nino screamed through the receiver, “BROOOOOOO!!! A SOULMARK?? NO WAY BRO! AND TO THINK YOU’D ALMOST GIVEN UP!”

“I know!! I’m so excited, and I think I might know who the girl is!” He paused for a moment, thinking of bluebell eyes. “Marinette,” he sighed dreamily.

“Who’s Mari _nette_?” Even through the phone, Adrien could see Nino waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“A girl I saw yesterday and met today. Although, it’s more like she crashed into me. And I got her to exchange numbers with me so I could pay her back for any damage I may have caused! Do you think I should text her now? We can be like you and Alya and then the four of us will go on double dates! Unless she hates me or doesn’t have a soulmate or has a soulmate who isn’t me.”

“Dude, no offense, but you’re Adrien Agreste. Like, _the_ Adrien Agreste! No one could hate you. And the cases you’re speculating take up about 0.1% of the population. Even _you_ aren’t that unlucky.”  
“Hah, thanks Nino,” Adrien’s quipped, sarcasm lacing his words.

“So, man, what does your soulmark say?”  
  
“Woah, firm chest alert!”

“Excuse me? What are you doing over there, Adrien?”

“Bro! No! No, that’s what the soulmark says.”

“Oh, haha right. See, bro, she does like you! Or, at the very least, she thinks you have a firm chest, hmmm?”

“Shut up.”

“Hahahah alright dude. I gotta go, Alya and I have a date. Catch you later!”  
Adrien paused, weighing his options. Did he value his life or his morals? Without a second thought, he asked, “Didn’t you mean cat-ch?” With a roll of his feline eyes, Plagg meowed on cue.

The line immediately went dead.

“Wait, Nino? Nino! I forgot to ask you what I should text her! Nino, come back!”

Adrien looked down at Plagg, frowning slightly. Could Plagg teach him how to text a girl? No, that was ridiculous. Plagg was a cat, and an extremely grumpy one at that. Even if Plagg could help him, Adrien doubted he would.

* * *

 Adrien’s phone stared back at him, the screen a blinding white. Heaving a heavy sigh, Adrien typed up another text: “Hey Marinette! This is Adrien, the guy who ruined your papers. I just wanted to apologize again and see if you were free anytime soon. As a formal apology, I can take you out to dinner or for a coffee. If you don’t mind, that is.” Was that too direct? Too awkward? With a groan, he deleted everything.

He glanced over to where Plagg was snoozing. Lucky cat. Maybe Plagg did have some good ideas? That cat could surprise him sometimes, even after ten years. And he _was_ desperate...

“Hey, Plagg?”

“Mrow?”

“Can you help me text this girl? Please?”

Plagg held Adrien’s gaze with an unimpressed expression. With a huff, he hopped down from his bed and walked out of the room.

“So that’s a no then?”

 _Well,_ Adrien thought after hours of useless brainstorming, _Simple never goes out of style. In fact, Father is expanding his summer line to encompass more minimalist trends this year._

At 1:09 am, Adrien finally sent the text: “Hi Marinette! It’s Adrien. How are you?”

Now all he had to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates!!! Thank you everyone for reading this and supporting me. It truly means a lot, y'all are too kind. Anyways, enjoy! :)
> 
> (Comments and kudos will always be greatly appreciated)


	3. Chapter 3

_Ding!_ Marinette’s phone lit up, Adrien’s text appearing on the screen. Marinette looked up, tongue still stuck out in concentration, like a deer caught in the headlights. She paused her needlework to unlock it.

As she read the short text, her chest tightened and she began to feel a little light-headed. Her vocal chords turned rigid, and a bubble of suppressed squealing was well on its way up her throat. Marinette took a deep breath in, a deep breath out, but the giddy squeal still pierced the air before she could stop herself. What was this feeling? Marinette had never counted herself as one of those shallow girls who fawned over a guy just because he was hot. True, love at first sight was a compelling concept and had pulled at her heartstrings since the beginning of time, but that didn’t mean it actually _existed_ . The logical side of Marinette screamed, _This is creepy! It was such a simple, casual, and completely_ platonic _text! Get yourself together!_ The lovesick side of Marinette decided to ignore her. Besides, Logical Marinette, who had been dubbed Tikki over the years, was always getting in the way of what she wanted, which was not a good thing. Marinette let a slight goofy smile slide onto her face and sent a text back, the floral design on her blouse forgotten.

“I’m good, thanks :)”

She waited a while, fingers tapping impatiently on her work station. _Tha-thump tha-thump tha-thump._ Restlessly, she picked up her needle again. Every few seconds, she checked her phone, hoping a text would come through. Marinette was so distracted that she pricked her finger several times, and eventually, she gave up on getting anything done.

Morning found her with one arm draped over her blouse and the other stretched out to her side, clutching the phone like it was a lifeline. At precisely 6 am, her phone buzzed, waking her with a start. Marinette slid her finger across the home screen, thinking it was her alarm. However, when the buzzes didn’t stop, realization dawned on her.

 _Adrien!_ Marinette’s inner self exclaimed joyously. She checked her phone. _Oh, it’s just Alya_ . Marinette frowned, _Since when did my best friend become so disappointing?_

She stretched, typing out a vague greeting, “Hey Alya, how was the date?”

“I just told you, Mari. How out of it are you?” Alya replied instantly. _Oh no, the reporter has come out_ , Marinette thought as she instinctively froze. She could practically see the furrow in Alya’s brow.

“Uh haha, oops, I just woke up.” Marinette felt cold sweat gathering on her forehead. Maybe Alya would buy it? She scanned her messy room for any wearable clothes as she waited for Alya to respond.

“Not gonna cut it girl, I know you waaaay better than that,” After a second, the typing bubble appeared again. “Wait. This isn’t about a guy is it? Was there a guy??? _Is_ there a guy??? Why didn’t you tell me about this?!”

Marinette hung her head. _How was Alya so good at this?_

“Maybe.” Well, there goes her dignity.

“HA! I KNEW IT!” Alya’s elated reply jumped out of Marinette’s phone, practically dancing on the desk for her. Marinette amusedly shook her head.

“Tell me all about Mister Mystery Guy!” came the next text.

“Now,” Alya demanded when two minutes had passed and Marinette _still_ hadn’t responded. But how could she describe Adrien without giving away the fact that he was, well, Adrien?

“He has green eyes?” What a lame answer. Alya would see right through her.

“Who do you think I am? Come on, Mari, you know the routine. Name, hair color, eye color, skin color, face shape, age, height, career, personality (at least three non-generic traits), fashion style, address, BMI, possible flaws, and the story of how you met.”

“Alyaaaaa...”

“Mariiiiiiii...”

“Fine, but just know I hate you. No, blonde, a beautiful emerald green, a dreamy pale peach, no, 26, no to everything else, and I ran into him. Literally. Ran. Into. His. Extremely. Chiseled. Pecs.”

“Ah, typical Marinette, running into hot guys. That should be your full time job, you know. So, what’s this mysterious older guy’s name? And do you not know what he works as? Because that could be a problem.”

“Alya, he’s not even a full year older than me! And I do know his job and name, but I am not disclosing that information. If I land a date, I’ll tell you, but that’s never going to happen.”  
“I’m grumbling right now in case you weren’t aware. You _have_ to tell me about any future interactions and let me know when you land a date because, trust me, you will. He’d be stupid not to see what a catch you are, and if that’s what happens, you’re better off without him.  I don’t want you getting hurt like last time. Keep me updated, Mari, please?”  
“Of course, Alya. Thank you. And don’t worry, he has a respectable character and a good job. I can take care of myself too; I’m not completely incapable :)”

“Mmkay, Miss I’m-So-Clumsy-I-Run-Into-Hot-Guys-On-A-Daily-Basis.”  
“I swear to god, Alya, if you set that as my new contact name, I _will_ kill you.”

“Whatever you say!”

“I will!!” Marinette mock pouted. Then her ‘hey you need to be up and running by now this is literally the most last minute you can get’ alarm went off, and her eyes widened. “Oh shoot, Alya! I’m running late and this is the third time this week I’ll talk to you later gotta go bye!”

As Marinette rushed off to take a quick shower and put together a decently fashionable outfit, two unread messages popped into her inbox.

“Bye, I’ll see you tonight at my place!” one of the messages said.

“I’m glad to hear that!” said the other.

By the time Marinette had exited her apartment, another message had been sent.

“Hypothetically, if I were to ask you out, what would you say?”

* * *

 Adrien had not meant to send that message. He had typed it out, sure, but it was more of a secret personal musing meant for _his eyes only_ . He had read somewhere that to smoosh feelings, one should write down what they wanted to say to the person they wanted to say it to and then burn or delete the message. Nowhere in there did it say to actually send the message! Oh, this was a disaster and it was all _Plagg’s_ fault.

 _Plagg_ had walked over his phone. _Plagg_ had pressed the send button with his paw. And _Plagg_ was going to have to plan his funeral at the rate Adrien’s heart rate was going up.

Adrien groaned and slumped down on the desk, pulling at his hair. What was he going to do? Was it too late to get one of his father’s media regulators and tech people to unsend the message? Adrien glanced down at his phone. Yup, too late. There was that telltale read receipt. The one that sealed his fate.

Maybe he could change his name, create a new identity, and move to America? On second thought, his father would definitely be able to find and consequently kill him for doing that.

“Aargghhfufiakfaaaa!!!”

“What’s wrong with Adrien today?”

“Don’t question it, Richard, just don’t.”

* * *

 That night, Marinette walked into Alya’s place with an expression that could only be described as akin to the calm before a storm. Alya, recognizing this, pulled up a chair, a screaming pillow, and a mug of hot cocoa.

Marinette sat down. She adjusted her legs. She dropped her purse. She threw her phone in Alya’s direction. And then in one swift motion, she snatched the screaming pillow and shoved it in her face.

As Marinette continued to create noises that were inhumane and, frankly, sounded like a dying, screeching parrot-cow hybrid, Alya got busy analyzing the messages Adrien had sent.

_“Hypothetically, if I were to ask you out, what would you say?”_

“Oh my god I’m so sorry if that made you uncomfortable I didn’t even mean to send that. My cat pressed the send button and I’m not a douche, I swear!”

“I mean, er, not that it doesn’t still stand? If you want to answer the question that is. It’s purely for research purposes and, uh, I mean. Yeah.”

“Hello?”

Yeah, Alya had decided that Marinette and this "Adrien" guy were a match made in heaven. And since Marinette was clearly incapacitated at the moment...Well then, Alya had no choice but to intervene, right? She was already planning out a ship name and t-shirts!

Alya quickly glanced over at Marinette, who was still caught up in tearing her lungs out. “So...,” she began typing in reply, “is this your way of asking me out?”

Aaaand send.

Immediately, Marinette’s phone dinged. Marinette bolted upright, pillow still clutched tightly. Her hair was flung astray in all different directions, and one of her sleeves had slipped off her shoulder.  “What was that?” Marinette asked Alya, eyes trained on the phone. A voice inside Marinette screamed at her because _what could she have possibly been thinking to entrust Alya with her phone and her love life?!_

“Possibly Adrien.”

Hollering a strangled war cry, Marinette lept over the couch and slapped her phone out of Alya’s hands. Her throat was really beginning to hurt.

“Openopenopenopen,” Marinette chanted as she rapidly clicked the home button.

One unread message. From Adrien. “Maybe.” _What did that mean? Is that a reply to something? I didn’t even text him_ , Marinette thought confusedly.

_Oh no. Alya. Alya!_

“ALYA WHAT DID YOU DO?! DI-DID YOU JUST FLIRT FOR ME?”

“Oh, you can’t possibly be mad at me, Mari! I just landed you a date with one (1) hot guy!!!”

Marinette paused mid-thought, finger in the air, mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish. All of a sudden, she registered her best friend’s words and slumped forwards. She begrudgingly conceded, mumbling “I guess” under her breath.

Alya wore a smug smile, hip cocked to one side, knowing she had won the argument. “Now,” Alya said to the defeated Marinette, “before you start freaking out about the date,” Marinette let out a small squeak at the word ‘date’, “I need to know who this mysterious Adrien is. You promised to tell me once you landed a date, remember?”

“Alya, you already know his name.”

“Nuh-uh-uh, girl! Full. Name,” Alya said before grimacing, “Or at least his last name. Because, you know, middle names aren’t commonly given out during brief first introductions.”

“But what if I don’t know his last name, hmmm? He doesn’t know mine.” At this, Alya cocked an eyebrow towards Marinette, daring her to lie.

“Okay so I do know his last name, but...”

“But?”

“Fine. It’s Agreste. Adrien Agreste.”

“Are you shitting me right now Marinette oh my god how did you land a date with _the_ Adrien Agreste?! How did you run into him?? How do you have his number?! Isn’t this against the rules of the Agreste industry??? You work for his father! His! Father!”

“I KNOW!!!" Marinette huffed before gasping for air. After regaining her composure, she continued, "But _technically,_ you’re the one that landed the date, so if this backfires, I’m blaming it all on you.”

Aya waved her hand and laughed, “Fair enough. Now, let’s go watch some Disney movies and freak out about this later once you nerds have actually settled on a date for the date. I made spaghetti and I've got popcorn as well as these _amazing_ chocolate truffles that I am not letting go to waste.”

With an excited laugh, Marinette jumped up and followed Alya into the kitchen. Who could pass up truffles?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update came so late, I've been kind of busy oops. In any case, I hope you enjoyed this! Kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> Also, just a head's up: The next update will probably be even later...(I'm so sorry pls don't kill me)
> 
> EDIT: This might get angsty. Just a tad. Maybe. We'll see.
> 
> (Comments and kudos will always be greatly appreciated)


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien Agreste, the calm, composed model of the Agreste industry, was lying in a pile of crumpled paper on a Friday night. Why, you may ask? Oh, simply because Marinette, his soulmate, had agreed to go on a _date_ with him and that _date_ was tomorrow, in less than 24 hours to be exact, and oh god, he couldn’t do it! All of his attempts at flirting, which he had written down to memorize and practiced on Plagg, fell flat at his ears. He needed to be as witty as he could be in text, as smooth and handsome as his father made him out to be, as polite and sweet as a gentleman could be. But whenever he thought of Marinette, his tongue tied together in a knot that would make a sailor jealous, and all his years of model training went out the window. Swoosh, gone, just like his mother.

_(T-Minus 18.5 hours until sheepish smiles and fumbling fingers)_

* * *

 It was 8 am in the morning on a Saturday. God forbid anyone was out this early on a weekend, but Alya had insisted because she and Adrien had finally been able to decide on a date that worked for both of them. Granted, it had taken them a _ridiculously_ long time. With Adrien’s rigid schedule and photoshoots and Marinette’s long work days, it was a miracle that it had only taken a month to find a shared free night. This was it. Today was the day. Marinette tried to ignore the nervous fluttering of butterflies in her stomach and the way her heart pounded louder than usual.

_(T-Minus 10.5 hours until first looks and awkward beginnings)_

Marinette felt physically lighter, bubbly happiness floating up from the tips of her toes. She felt like a princess, or a lady in training.

“Marinette! Come check this out, it matches that cute spring dress you made perfectly!” Alya yelled across the boutique.

Yes, Alya and Marinette were out shopping for jewelry in a boutique. Not a large jewelry store. Marinette had always believed in supporting small companies, possibly because she planned on starting a small one too someday. Plus, the jewelry of department stores or well known brands were generally tacky and not as unique or personalized. She preferred this.

Marinette rushed over to where Alya stood, cradling a glimmering necklace. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a thin, delicate, silver chain with an elegant red ladybug pendant that had crystals as spots. Marinette loved it immediately. Until she saw the price tag.

“Oh, Alya, I can’t! It’s way out of my budget!”

“But ladybugs are your favorite! Come on, splurge a little! Live life on the edge! It’s perfect for you, it’s practically screaming ‘Marinette’! Marinette, Marinette, Marinettteee,” Alya began chanting in a whisper, careful not to draw attention from the shopkeeper.

Marinette rolled her eyes at Alya’s obvious giddiness. She huffed a sigh and fingered the chain thoughtfully. It was very pretty, and it did go with the warm tones of her dress...-NO! She couldn’t! She had a rent to think about and fabric to buy, and she simply couldn’t. She was a responsible adult. Yes. Responsible.

With one last disappointed glance at the necklace, Marinette gathered up all her willpower and decisively walked away.

“Come on Alya, let’s go. I have enough jewelry at home anyways, I don’t need one more necklace. And no, you’re not going to convince me, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s go buy some shoes.”

Alya dragged her feet across the store, looking as if she had just been separated from a long lost love.

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Why do you look more upset than me?”

_(T-Minus 10 hours until sassy remarks and flirty looks)_

* * *

 

After 4 long hours of intense shoe shopping and a quick break at a cafe for lunch, Marinette collapsed onto her couch.

“Damn. Whoever said shopping was easy or relaxing was _wrong_ . I feel _drained_.”

Alya smiled in her direction, too tired to find the mop of black hair.  “I guess that means you’re ready for the spa portion of the day! It’s all balanced out, Mari. You shop before a spa day so that you’re tired enough to relax. Makes sense.”

Marinette snickered, “Yeah, sure, whatever you say genius.”

“I am a genius!”  
The two peeled themselves off their respective cushions and stumbled to the door, bickering the whole way.

_(T-Minus 6 hours until freshly curled hair brushed behind ears)_

* * *

 

Oh man. Oh man, oh man, oh man. Adrien had forgot a _gift_ . He was so screwed, how could he have forgotten a _gift_ of all things! It was standard dating procedure, not that he had dated much, but everyone knows you have to get a _gift_ ! Oh no, oh no, oh nooo...What could he do? He obviously couldn’t buy _just_ chocolates or flowers--those were too basic and not thoughtful at all. What did Marinette like? Ladybugs, fashion (obviously), the color pink, and Jagged Stone, but that’s all he really knew from their text conversations.

Adrien didn’t think buying fabric would be very romantic for a first date, and he couldn’t get anything autographed on such a short basis. Ladybugs would have to do. Jewelry probably, unless he could find something both pink and ladybug related. Some flowers couldn’t hurt to go along with it, right? Right. He could do this, he’d just have to find a unique piece of ladybug jewelry in the next...3 hours. Oh god.

From now on, Adrien was a man on a mission. And a man on a mission...needed his best friend. Adrien dialed Nino’s number. Don’t judge him, Nino already had a girlfriend and (probably) knew better than him.

_(T-Minus 3 hours until a glittering necklace, bashfully accepted)_

* * *

Marinette stood in front of the mirror, studying her figure. She pulled at her dress, this way and that. It fit pretty well, she had to admit. She was proud of her work. Curled hair, natural and subtle makeup courtesy of Alya, ruby earrings from her 16th birthday, an off-white dress with red and gold floral designs and a sweetheart cut that she made herself, and red pumps...She looked...

“-like a goddess! My god, Mari, you’re so pretty! Adrien’s going to keel over dead when he sees you like this, just watch. Tomorrow, the big news will be ‘ **International Model and Perfect Son of the Famous Gabriel Agreste Passes Away Prematurely from the Shock of a Girl Too Pure and Beautiful for This World**.’”

Marinette grinned, “Oh stop it, Alya. I don’t look _that_ good. Plus, it’s your duty as my best friend to say that--it’s literally in the job description!”

“Nuh uh, Mari, you do look that good. I would nevvverrr lie to you, don’t you believe me?” Alya threw Marinette her puppy dog eyes.

“No, of course not, you would never lie to me!” Marinette replied sarcastically. Then, with a smirk, she continued, “You know, you complain about your sisters an awful lot for someone who’s just as immature.”  
“Excuse me!? Me. Immature? I think you’ve got the wrong girl, mademoiselle. You ought to be joking!”

“Drama queen,” Marinette whispered under her breath.

Unfortunately, Alya’s reporter’s ears had caught her sly comment. Now Alya was taking full offense, and with a large, exaggerated gasp, fingers splayed across her chest, she exclaimed, “Girl, that is out of line! What would give you the impression that I, Alya Cesaire of House Cesaire, am a drama queen? If it wasn’t your date tonight, I would be all up in your face right now.”

“I know you would,” Marinette said reassuringly with an amused quirk of her lips. She patted Alya on the shoulder, “It’s ok.”

Alya huffed a bit and then seemed to remember the true mission at hand. The date! Yes, no more time for banter, there was, after all, only one hour left on the clock.

_(T-minus 55 minutes until identical lovestruck gazes)_

* * *

 He had done it. He had found a gift (with Nino’s help and some frantic phone calls and a payment that his father would interrogate him about later) and a beautiful bouquet to go along with it. He had picked out one of his favorite (coincidentally Agreste™ brand) suits to wear, and he had put on cologne. He was ready. He had to be.

Adrien ran through the checklist in his head once more, just to be certain. Yes, he had gotten a gift, gotten flowers, wrapped the gift, taken a shower, put on cologne, got dressed, practised more with Plagg, remembered his wallet, and made sure his gas tank was full. It was time to go.

Adrien stepped towards the door. One step, two steps, thre-

Nope.

Not ready.

He ran over to Plagg and with all seriousness, holding Plagg’s two front paws, he asked, “Do you think I’m a cat-ch?”

Plagg would probably roll his eyes if he could, but this time, Adrien wasn’t letting him off that easy. “No, Plagg this is a life-or-death situation. Am I hotttt?”

Plagg meowed in irritation. Adrien took that as a no. “Why don’t you like me Plagggg?? Am I not good enough for you? Is this the end of our relationship? Do I need makeup? Am I wearing too much cologne? Do you not like my suit? What is it??!”

Plagg looked pointedly at him before jumping out of his bed and onto the counter. He nudged the bottle of cologne and left the room, tail held high.

Adrien cursed under his breath. “Damn it, I knew it was too much cologne.” He sighed and took a wet cloth, beginning to remove the offending smell from his face and forearms and some other choice areas he would _rather not talk about._ He might’ve gotten over enthusiastic with the cologne application earlier, not that he would ever admit it.

Ok. Now he was ready. If not now, then when?

With a smile, Adrien thought of his soulmark. Yes, this was it. Adrien took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, ready to meet his other half.

_(T-Minus 15 minutes until the world explodes)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I finally updated and I'm so sorry for the wait! I hope it was worth it? It's kind of short and the style is different because I tried to capture the preparation for the date. *shrugs* I don't know. It's been a busy few months and it's probably going to continue to be a busy few months, if I'm honest with you. I know how hard it is to wait, but I hope you guys understand!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and comments and kudos will be much appreciated! (Your past comments have all been so nice and great to read; they make me warm inside thank you <3)
> 
> P.S: Still deciding on the angst. If it happens though, it'll be after the fluff, so you're welcome :P (comment your opinion if you want--I might be swayed~)


	5. Chapter 5

_(T-Minus 0 minutes)_

Adrien stared at the plain, unassuming, wooden door before him...and knocked. Once, twice, three times. He prepared a smile and fidgeted, shifting the gift box around in hands that were too sweaty and clammy to properly hold it.

There were some stumbling footsteps and crashes before the door finally opened.

“Hi,” Marinette smiled at him breathlessly, cheeks flushed red and eyes sparkling, and _wow_ Adrien could pinpoint the exact moment when he lost the ability to speak.

He must’ve been staring for a while because when he came back to his senses, Marinette’s smile had grown more strained, and her brows were creased together in what he hoped was concern and not judgement. An answer. Right, he was supposed to say something.

“Hi,” He said, not meaning for his voice to come out as deep and husky as it had. He cleared his throat. “Hi,” He tried again, this time sounding much more like himself. “Hi,” He said once more, just to make sure his voice still worked. It was probably too many ‘hi’s, he realized, embarrassment creeping across his face.

Marinette, the sweet girl, didn’t comment on his overload of ‘hi’s. Instead, her smile relaxed, and her eyes softened.

Adrien was smiling like an idiot, he could feel it. “Here!” He said all too abruptly, holding out the gift. “Uh, this is for you. I got it. For you, for this date. Ah, not that I felt obligated to, I wanted to and um. The flowers, too! For you! Of course they aren’t as beautiful as you, but I-” He stopped himself before he made more of a mess and it faintly registered within his mind that he was now holding both arms out in front of him like a complete dork. Adrien wanted to smack himself on the head. He had _been_ on dates before! Not many, but still. He wasn’t completely incompetent, so why was he acting like it? (He already knew the answer. It was because her eyes lit up whenever she saw him. It was because love seemed to radiate from her very body. It was because she was his _soulmate_ and he had finally found her and he wasn't alone, he was capable of being loved, and oh god she made him so, so happy. )

“ _Oh,_ ” She breathed, hands reaching out for the flowers first, “They’re beautiful, Adrien.” She hugged them to her chest, gently, looking at them with such an adoring gaze that Adrien’s knees shook. He wanted to be looked at that way. _Patience_ , He scolded himself.

Marinette set the flowers aside on a small table. “I have a friend hiding away in my apartment right now. She’ll take care of these. In fact, she’s probably eavesdropping on our conversation as we speak,” She whispered conspiratorially to Adrien.

“Ah, well in that case, we shouldn’t let her have the pleasure of listening in for much longer...isn’t that right, my lady?” Adrien didn’t know where the nickname had come from. It had just slipped out (probably from the deep dark place in Adrien where he stored all of his anime obsessions). Now both of them were standing there, Adrien looking as shocked as Marinette, if not more.

(If you concentrated hard enough, you would be able to hear the sound of distant and muffled snickering.)

(Luckily, Marinette was still in a daze and didn’t hear it or else Alya may not have survived.)

“Ah..er...what I meant was. Um,” Adrien coughed. The red flush on his cheeks quickly worked its way down to meet his shoulders.

And then, suddenly, Marinette smirked dangerously. Adrien felt his insides churn in both fear and-oh god, he wanted to bury his face in his hands- _arousal_. “Feeling flirty tonight, are we? Hmm well, if you’re a good enough boy for me, I might consider being yours.”

Adrien choked. Alya choked (from her hiding spot). Who would’ve thought that small, sweet, blushing Marinette had _that_ in her?

“I-” Adrien’s already flushed skin darkened fifty shades, red enough to rival the sheen on Marinette’s favorite animal (bug? Do bugs count as animals?).

“Aw, did the cat get your tongue? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get it back for you so that we can enjoy our date fully.” She winked.

Adrien was buzzing. Actually buzzing. At first he had thought the faint sound of buzzing in his ears meant he was going to faint, but nope, it was just the sound of his own body literally vibrating.

Flirty Marinette immediately disappeared, and her face furrowed in worry and anxiety. A small part of Adrien that was still functioning wanted nothing more than to reach out and smooth the lines from her face. “Oh god, that was too much wasn’t it? I’m so sorry! Adrien...are you alright?”

“No! I mean yes! Fine, I’m fine! And you’re perfect that was good, great, I mean it was-you’re-I’m yours, mine, I mean my lady or just lady because you’re not mine yet and- _I’ll be a good boy_!” Adrien practically shouted the last bit. Oh, how he wished the ground would just open and swallow him up. This was most definitely kinkier than he had realistically anticipated (because come on, of course he had imagined many, many different scenarios before the date).

Now Marinette was the one blushing. Apparently when she wasn’t flirty, being reminded of what she had said while she was flirty was enough to make her burn up.

“Gift!” Adrien blurted out, after realizing that he was still holding it out.

“Yes!” Marinette immediately latched onto the rescue line Adrien had given them both, “Gift!” They were both screeching at this point.

Marinette shakily accepted the gift box (which was now a bit damp with sweat, but they didn’t notice that).

She opened it. Inside, nestled safely, was the necklace she had been eyeing in the boutique with Alya earlier.

“Adrien...It’s beautiful, but I can’t. I-This is way too expensive, I couldn’t.”

“I insist.” Adrien whispered, smiling at her. He covered her hands with his. “You deserve it, and, besides, it’s perfect for you. You did say you liked ladybugs, non?” His eyes were twinkling with mirth, and damn it, Marinette had to accept it now. Just darn his stupid sunshine face and his stupid chivalrous behaviour and his stupid, beautiful eyes.

“Would you like me to put it on for you?”

Marinette nodded, unable to say anything out loud. (She blamed Ursula.)

His fingers brushed her hair back and wrapped the necklace around her. He leaned in closer, giving her a noseful of expensive cologne and the faint smell of cookies and camembert? What a weird combination. She actually didn’t like the smell much, but she couldn’t judge because she had spent the afternoon spritzing different perfumes around her until she got dizzy from the smells.

“There you go,” He said in a breath that rushed past her ear. She shivered, finally regaining her voice.

“Thank you,” Their voices were both so low now that Marinette could imagine Alya straining to pick up their conversation. She swallowed, her tongue feeling very thick and heavy in her mouth. She could do it right now. She could tilt her head up and brush her lips against his just to see what it would feel like. She could do it.

Her new necklace winked up at her, as if telling her to go for it.

She leaned up, tilted her head, and-

“We should go,” Adrien said awkwardly as he retreated hastily and rubbed his neck. “I..I have a reservation at the restaurant.”

“Right.” Why was she so disappointed? It was only the beginning of the date after all, and she’d have plenty of time later.

She closed the door and followed Adrien to the car, shaking the feeling of disappointment off her chest.

* * *

 “After you, my lady,” Adrien purred, bowing slightly as he held the restaurant door open for Marinette. He didn’t flinch this time; he had already concluded during the car ride that it would be less awkward to flirt intentionally than unintentionally...right? Anyway, seeing Marinette flustered and blushing was a good enough reason to do so regardless of his other motives.

As expected, Marinette colored. As unexpected, she pushed him away gently, finger on his nose, murmuring “silly” under her breath in such an endearing manner that Adrien was once again left breathless. Wooing Marinette while staying sane was turning out to be a lot harder than he originally thought.

As they walked into the establishment, warm air curled over them. Small twinkling lights lined the walls, plants hung from the ceiling, and soothing violins could be heard pulling out whimsical notes above the tables.

The restaurant was on the smaller side, but it definitely had a certain charm about it that made one feel at home. Plus, the food could melt frowns off even the biggest and baddest (Adrien had experienced this firsthand when had taken his own father to dinner here). Marinette turned around to face Adrien.

“It’s beautiful...”

Adrien chuckled, “And it should be quite lucky too. There’s a reason it’s called The Miraculous Café.” He winked at her as she continued to stare in awe.

Not long after, a hostess glided over and led the pair to their table in a private, candle-lit section of the restaurant.

(Adrien colored slightly at the hostess introducing the section as “the couple’s isle.” He hadn’t even known such a thing existed.)

They both sat down.

“So what's being a model like?” Marinette blurted out unceremoniously, before quickly blanching at Adrien’s awkward expression, “Sorry, sorry! I just couldn’t think of anything to talk about and modelling came to my mind not that I don’t want to get to know you but I’m a designer as you already know and I just thought it would be interesting to understand that part of the fashion world and if you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine! I remember that one time I modelled was a disaster and oh god this one person even saw it and commented on it and I’m rambling aren’t I?”

She covered her face with her hands. “I’m sorry, Adrien, I’ve already messed everything up.”

“No, no you haven’t!” Gently, Adrien pried Marinette’s hands from her face. “You haven’t at all, Mari. Modelling is fine itself, but I don’t enjoy all the press attention and lack of control over my own life...if it were up to me, I would do something more lowkey. Like teaching or something. I’ve always been a bit of a nerd.” He laughed dryly, “But I can’t, so there’s no point in thinking about it more than I have to.”

Marinette opened her mouth, surely about to comfort him, when the waiter approached the two.

“Have you two decided what you would like this evening?” He asked, setting down the bread basket.

Adrien and Marinette stared at one another.

“Uhhh..”

“I think we can order, right Mari?”  
“Y-yeah, I’m ready.”

“Great!” The waiter beamed, completely ignoring the tension in the air. “So what will it be?”  
“I suppose we can start off with some escargots à la bourguignonne?” Adrien looked to Marinette for confirmation, “And perhaps one of your best bottles of white wine.” He paused, scanning the menu. “We’ll also get a summer salad and your oyster plate.”

The waiter scribbled furiously while nodding. “And for the entrees?”

“I’ll have the rabbit cacciatore, and...” Adrien trailed off.

“I’ll just have the salmon, thanks,” Marinette smiled up at the waiter, and, Adrien’s chest suddenly felt very restricted.

“Will that be all?”

“Yep. That’s it.” His chest constricted again--rapidly--as he looked at the way the waiter was smiling at Marinette, voice coming out weird and strangled.

Marinette looked at him curiously, and a small tendril of guilt climbed up his throat. The waiter had done nothing to deserve this, and yet...He shook it off in a fit of indignation. He was justified in his jealousy! Totally justified!

“So, how is being a designer and working for my father?” He asked as the waiter walked away.

“Not so great...I wanted to design and make clothes, you know? I thought this opportunity meant at least being a seamstress but I all I do is go on coffee runs and make phone calls. I’m a freaking secretary, Adrien! I hate it so much I’ve been thinking of leaving the company and starting my own company, but it would be so much better to have experience working under your father as an actual designer before doing that. I just don’t think that will happen anytime soon. Not at this rate, anyways. I was even forced to model...and it was frankly a terrible experience that probably no model has ever been through.” Marinette laughed.

“That sucks. Maybe you _should_ start your own company, I can be your first investor!”

“Maybe...”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk more about it, he switched gears, “So tell me about this modelling incident of yours,” He teased, “You’ve mentioned it so many times, I’m intrigued!” Of course, Adrien was pretty sure he had seen the results of the incident first hand, but he had never gotten the full story.  
“Oh god it’s so embarrassinnggg,” Marinette moaned, “I’ll never live it down if I tell you!”  
“It can’t be that bad! I’m sure you looked cute (he knew she looked cute). Plus, I could always just nag someone else about it, pull some strings, maybe get some sneak peeks at the shots from the shoot.”  
“You’re evil!” She shot him a stink eye before collapsing into giggles, “Okay fine, I admit defeat. I’ll tell you the story.”

“With pictures?” Adrien piqued innocently, giving her his famous kitten eyes.

“NO.”

Damn. Shut down. Still, he had the story. Slowly, he leaned in close as she began talking.

“So it was a regular day at work, right? And then my coworker, Lily, barges in out of breath and looking all frantic and I’m immediately like oh my god are you alright? And she’s like yeah but Monsieur Agreste told me to get you because the photographer recovered early and they’re doing an impromptu shoot now and because of the timing, we’re short on models and also the theme of the shoot is a bit out there, high end fashion and all. I was told nobody was up to the task or good enough so some models were hired right on the spot! Anyway, they need another model stat and the photographer suggested me for some reason because I--and I quote -‘looked pretty and was perfect for the job’ and Monsieur Agreste agreed because I quote again ‘if she wants to be a designer she has to be exposed to every bit of the fashion industry including modelling’. Okay Monsieur Agreste, when have you ever modelled? So, of course I’m panicking now because I can’t model and all the other models were not up to it but apparently I was expected to do what they couldn’t even though they’ve modelled their entire life?!”

Marinette paused for a breath and gulped down some water before continuing.

“Anyway, so I rush up there and the shoot is already set up. I immediately get whirled away by these makeup artists and wardrobe people. Before, I know it, I look like a chicken! An actual chicken!! Or, more accurately, a parrot. Or just a really, really ugly canary. I came to the conclusion that those models weren’t bad or anything, they were just smart and refused to make fools of themselves. It was the worst experience of my life Adrien! I had feathers in places I didn’t know existed.” She scrunched her nose up in disgust and Adrien broke out laughing at her expression.

“Hey! It isn’t funny!” She protested, looking more and more like a grumpy child by the second.

“It kind of _is_ though,” Adrien choked out in between laughs.

“I was covered in bright yellow and swamp green feathers! And glitter! Because apparently it ‘photographs well’,” She raised her fingers in air quotes, sarcastically framing the last two words, “Not to mention, paint was dumped all over me! I can’t believe your father actually agreed to that shoot; I for sure thought it was a prank.” Marinette huffed.

Adrien couldn’t even reply at this point, for he was clutching his stomach in silent laughter.

Marinette glared at him, and he was only saved by the arrival of their delicious food.

As they munched on their escargot and appetizers, their table was blanketed by a comfortable (not awkward) silence.

After a while, with the dishes polished clean, Marinette cleared her throat.

“That was so good,” she raspily whispered, hesitant to break the silence.

“Wasn’t it?” Adrien sighed, “Oh I love this restaurant so much.” He reached his hand out to stroke the wall, “I love you...” He murmured.

Marinette tsked under her breath, “First date and he already leaves me for food...Should I tell him my parents own a bakery?”

Adrien turned to her, eyes wide. “You lived...in a bakery?”

“Yep.”

“I will be able...to go to said bakery and eat much food?”

“If you’re my boyfriend,” Marinette winked.

He gulped (because of lust for food or Marinette, no one can ever be quite sure). Slowly, he rose from the table, walked over to Marinette’s side, and kneeled. “Marinette...will you be my girlfriend?” He asked slowly, drawing a rose from behind his back (where the heck did he get that from?).

Now normally, Marinette would have extremely flustered by both his gesture and question and would probably have stopped functioning. But now that she knew he had ulterior motives...she rose one unimpressed eyebrow and shooed him back to his seat.

“Don’t be silly,” She said slyly, “It’s only the first date.”

(‘THAT MEANS THERE’S GOING TO BE MORE,’ Adrien’s brained screamed at him.

‘SHUT UP I KNOW,’ He screamed back.)  
In the midst of his internal breakdown, the waiter returned with their entrees, only sparing Adrien one odd glance. Marinette nodded at him, and he walked away, shaking his head and wondering at the sanity of that wide-eyed stone-still guy at the table. Maybe the girl poisoned him...?

Adrien only broke out of his stupor when Marinette began viciously wafting the aroma of food over to Adrien. His eyes slowly deglazed and he inhaled deeply. Sending Marinette a catty smile, Adrien reached over with his fork and stole a small roasted potato from her plate.

“Adrien...”

“Yes?” He smiled angelically back at her, batting his eyelashes rapidly.  
Marinette’s face flickered between a frown and an amused smile. Suddenly she stood up and sauntered over to Adrien.

“Wuh. What are you-”

“Shhhh,” Marinette gently pressed her finger against Adrien’s soft, plump lips, “Don’t speak.” She let her hand fall down to stroke his chest as her other arm curled around Adrien’s neck. Leaning in close, Marinette let her lips brush his cheek as she reached over and--

With a swift maneuver of the fork, she had successfully stolen a piece of rabbit. Marinette abruptly stood back up, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and grinning smugly.

Adrien’s mouth fell open, his head swiveling back and forth between his meal and his date. “You--! And here I thought you actually liked me! It was a ruse for food all along? I’m wounded, hurt!” He flung his head back in anguish.

A snort--stuck halfway between a gargle and a grunt--slipped past Marinette’s lips. “It was for _revenge_ ,” she corrected him, “And you’re one to talk! You wanted to date me solely for my parent’s bakery.”

“That is so not true! It was for the bakery and the avian alter ego.”

“Do not bring that up again!”  
“I mean technically you brought that up first.”

Marinette groaned, “I knew you wouldn’t let me live that down.”

“Aw, Mari, only because I thought it was cute. I would leave this restaurant for you just because you looked so cute in your feathers.”

“Wait, what?”

“What.”

“You saw me?”

“Uh...”  
“You saw me.”

“No. Nope. Nopee. I deny any claims that I quote ‘saw you’ anytime before our first meeting.” Adrien let out a nervous chuckle under Marinette’s disbelieving stare.

“Alright, hot stuff,” She bit out viciously and _god_ why was Adrien so turned on right now? “Seeing as we both know you’re lying, tell me something embarrassing about you and show me some embarrassing pictures. Then we’ll be even.”

“What do you mean ‘both know you’re lying’! I am one hundred percent telling the truth!!”

“Nope.”

“I am!”

“Not gonna work.”

Adrien stared into her eyes, widening his own as much as he could in an effort to intimidate her. Only, Marinette stared back in a just as determined manner, narrowing her eyes to slits. It wasn’t really a contest at all--within seconds, Adrien shrunk back and let out a full-body sigh.

“ _Fine_.”

“Fine?”

“Fine.”

At that point, Marinette was practically jumping up and down in her seat. She was _this_ close to yelling in victory, but they were in a nice establishment, Mari, come on.

“But not right now.”

She stopped mid mental-cheer. “What.”

“Some other day, you can cash it in. But it's only the first date,” Adrien threw her own words back at her, winking.

“You’re horrible.”

“Yep.”

“Absolutely horrendous.”

“That’s me.”

“Disgusting.”

Adrien stuck his tongue out at her.

Marinette furrowed her brows. “Childish.”

But Adrien wasn’t bothered at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god thank you guys for bearing with me. I've had this in the works for a while now, but I've just been so busy. Sorry for the wait! I've made this chapter super long and fluffy with our two awkward kids to make up for it :P
> 
> Again, I have to warn that it'll probably be a long wait time for the next chapter (see: months). Sorry in advance, high school is rough!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and comments and kudos will be much appreciated!


End file.
